Sorry I Was Away So Long

Hello friends,

After the holidays, my life got really hectic. I was focused on my goals and work has been absolutely crazy so the last thing I wanted to do after coming home was sit in front of a computer again. Sorry, I have been away so long. I have missed reading your blogs. This morning I woke up early and decided to write a few things.

The first is that I am proud to say I have been really good at sticking to my goals for this year. I have been keeping a calendar and writing things down. I have spent more time reading, not only the scriptures, but also some other good books that I have wanted to read. I have kept my exercise goals (though some days I just didn't want to do it) and have lost about 3 pounds. A decent start considering that I have a long way to go and I want to keep it off. I am most thankful to Maura for her support. She has been one of the biggest reasons I have stayed with the exercise. It is great to have a buddy.

Second, I was really thrown for a loop by the calling to serve in the Nursery. This was the first time in my life that I really struggled to accept a call. I literally cried for days. It wasn't that I dislike being there, it was more that I had been looking forward to studying the Book of Mormon with Gospel Doctrine and I was really looking forward to the Joseph Smith RS lessons. I have served in other callings for so many years that I can't remember the last time I started and ended the year in SS and RS. When I was set apart for the nursery calling, I was given a wonderful blessing and I will say that I have been comforted by this. This past Sunday was my first week and I think things went pretty well. I find it ironic that I had just cleaned out my office in November and moved all my Primary stuff to the basement. Now I have to bring it all back upstairs!

Third, and most of all...thank you to all my friends who have been there to offer love and support. This is a big year for me. I have much to accomplish and I know that as I continue to work on my goals, I will see the fruits of my labor. I am thankful especially to Eric. He has always been a great support for me. I love him so much and can hardly believe that next month we celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. Time flies when you are with the one you love.

With all that said, I will try to be more regular with my posts. I love blogging and I definately will need your support and encouragement throughout the coming year.

New Years Is Over! --Now get to work!!!

Many of you know that I started a walking program in December. I must confess that I did really well unitl the week before Christmas. I think the stress of the holidays just really made it hard for me to stay focused. Thankfully, I got back on the wagon New Year's Eve. I woke up that morning and informed Eric that he was going to walk 1 mile with me, whether he liked it or not. It was a good thing, too, because we went to two parties that night and pigged out! We also stayed out way too late and when we did come home we stayed up until 2am watching tv...don't ask why--we don't know. Probably because of all the sugar we consumed.

Anyway, I dragged myself out of bed around 9am on New Years Day and commenced to cleaning off the desk in my office, which needed to be done before I could make any kind of resolutions. A little later on, Maura came over and we walked 2 miles together. This was too much fun! Then we went to work in my office, cleaning and clearing things out. After she left, I was feeling really good about what we had accomplished and I was able to sit down and think about my goals for 2008.

I got out a 3 ring binder and put a picture of a new Dodge Avenger (which is the car we plan to purchase this year if our finances will allow it) in the front and proceeded to write out my goals for the year. Then, I got another piece of paper and wrote down the action steps that I will do each day to meet my goals--this was inspired by a great talk on goals that was given in Sacrament Meeting last week--Thank you Jamie! I printed out calendar pages for each month in 2008, added them to the binder, and have been logging my progress each day.

I am proud to report that so far, I am on track--I know it is only the 4th, but I have actually been tracking my progress in walking since December. I am feeling comfortable with a 2 mile walk and am working on increasing the distance by a mile each month. My goal is to be at 195 pounds before the end of the year. The last time I weighed that was when I was in college which was more than 20 years ago. I am ready to do this and knowing that I have a family reunion this summer and a special trip in October with my sisters has given me the incentive. So next time you see me, ask me how I am doing. I will love to share my success.